Listen to narration by a local historian

Fairport Village Hall

Jeff Ludwig

Historical Researcher, City of Rochester

The Fairport Village Hall already had a long history when this photograph was taken sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s. Located on 31 South Main Street in Fairport, the municipal building has served the busy canal-side village since approximately 1905.

Prior to its construction, public meetings were often held in inns or taverns in the Town of Perinton (of which the Village of Fairport is a part). The continual growth of both bustling town and village throughout the 19th century convinced residents of the need for a spacious formal meeting hall.

In 1905, Perinton trustees appointed Justice H.A. Walker to chair a search committee tasked with establishing a town hall. He identified four potential sites, including a lot at 31 South Main Street—then occupied by a private home— that was ultimately selected and purchased for $4,000.

The dwelling was relocated, allowing the James Leamy Company of Syracuse a blank slate on which to build something new. Winning a $20,235 bid to complete the work, the contractor erected a 60’ by 50’ building with a separate wing appended for the fire department.

The original town hall layout consisted of a jail in the basement, offices on the main level, and a second story auditorium with a balcony extending to the third floor. In addition to providing a public gathering place, the auditorium doubled as a movie theater until 1920.

Throughout these early years, the Village of Fairport paid an annual rent of $350 to Perinton for offices in the premises.

Villagers were also encouraged to book building space for special occasions. An announcement in a 1926 Fairport newspaper encouraged citizens to consider renting town hall rooms “for general use for dances, entertainments, etc.,” especially since “the lower corridor and walls of the large hall have been redecorated in buff.”

By 1931, heavy demands on town hall space made it clear that the union between town and village had become impractical. To alleviate the pressure, the Town of Perinton sold the building to Fairport for one dollar, although the township reserved the right to maintain a clerk’s office, elections office, and even a modest amount of storage access. The Village, in turn, agreed to absorb all current and future costs of upkeep.

Shortly after coming to terms with the new arrangement, Fairport remodeled the structure. The Village Board approved $30,438 in renovations; the improvements included replacing the original fire department wing with a new two-story firehouse constructed next door to the village hall.

Today, the exterior of the building appears much as it did when Fairport assumed its operation. Inside, however, time has brought changes. The former basement level prison has given way to public restrooms while village offices and a village boardroom replaced the auditorium.

And yet, just as town and village planners intended over one hundred years ago, the public hall still provides its essential function: a democratic meeting space for members of the community to voice opinions, engage in debates, and participate in the life of their neighborhood.

Jeff Ludwig came to Rochester in 2006 after living in Pennsylvania and Maryland. A researcher in the City Historian’s office, he earned his Ph.D. in American history from the University of Rochester in November2014.